The main aim of this module was left down to us to decide individually, with some key learning outcomes directing us. I decided that my main objective would be to make myself more employable.

To help figure out how I would do this I created a SWOT analysis to list my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Using this I was able to think more clearly on what I should and could do to make myself more employable within the software development field.

SWOT analysis

I approached this in four key areas which were;

Social Media and Online Portfolio

Events and Networking

Job Searching and Applications

Skills and Content

To give myself more defined goals I decided to create smaller objectives that could fit inside of the four listed above.

To complete free courses that will improve, add to or otherwise refresh my skills

To develop Blender skills to enable marketable work

To create a series of mini-games with unique mechanics

As we can see from this portfolio I have already satisfied the first two objectives.

I moved on to develop my social media channels after completing my portfolio which included;

LinkedIn

Twitter

Itch.io

Unity Connect

I also expanded my contact on LinkedIn and use Twitter to post some content that I had been developing to get more exposure as a developer.

Tweet from my Twitter account

After my initial tweets, I realised that my exposure was quite limited and that this was likely because I had forgotten to use hashtags in them. After this, I decide to do another post and this time use relevant hashtags to see if the exposure of the tweet would increase. In just 3 hours I already had as much exposure as my longest standing tweet. This was an unfortunate oversight made by me due to my lack of twitter knowledge and it is good that I learnt of the use of hashtags within this important social medium.

I also looked into experimenting with the Post Processing Stack package in Unity. I had seen how this could make the aesthetics of your game pop with just some settings tweaking and overall make the game feel more cinematic (similar to the Unreal Engine). After some experimentation, I was able to create some good results.

Before

After

Before

After

Unfortunately, during the project, I suffered a lack of funds and so was unable to attend non-local events. This stopped me from going to EGX Rezzed which I was interested in going to see, to see how Indie developers present themselves to the public, network with some developers there and hopefully pick up some tips as a developer without a relevant job. I was able to make it to two events which included the Plymouth Jobs Fair and a CV enhancement session ran by the University. Whilst the first event was less than lacklustre in terms of opportunities, the second event allowed me to see how successful CVs are produced and what makes them successful. One of the pieces of advice that I disagreed with was the need to make the CV one page short. I currently have a two page long CV with very concise information that is relevant to any job I would be applying for. In the software development field, I feel that it is acceptable to have an extra page due to the amount of experience you need to convey to potential employers.

I also looked into improving my skills by using Lynda and have walked away with a few certifications that I have shared on LinkedIn

Lynda Certificates

After looking into the Blender course, I decided it would be best to show what skills I had learnt and ended up creating four models which consisted of a teapot, desk, barrel and bowl.

A mug that I created in Blender

Overall I feel that this module was a great success having in some manner approached 8 of the 9 objectives that I set myself. I experienced so much in a short amount of time in this project and it feels like a suitable way to wrap up my experience at University. I have finally been able to look into the application process in the software development field and have become much more intent on increasing my skills and knowledge in this area.

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